The engagement commenced on a Tuesday, and continued for a whole week, the last four days being the most bloody. { 7b} For some time both parties fought gallantly, and with almost equal success; fortune perhaps upon the whole appearing to favour the Cymry, who not only slew a vast number of their adversaries, but partially succeeded in recovering their lost dominions. { 7c} At this critical juncture a dwarfish herald arrived at the fence, proposing on the part of the Saxons a truce or compact, which, however, was indignantly rejected by the natives, and the action renewed. { 7d} The scales now rapidly turned. In one part of the field such a terrible carnage ensued, that there was but one man left to scare away the birds of prey, which hovered over the carcases of the slain. { 7e} In another, where our Bard was stationed, a portion of the allied army, owing to the absence of its general, became panic stricken. { 7f} Aneurin was taken prisoner, hurried off to a cave or dungeon, and loaded with chains. { 7g} At length a conference was submitted to, which was held at a place called Llanveithin, at which Aneurin, who had been forcibly liberated by one of the sons of Llywarch Hen, insisted upon the restoration of part of Gododin, or the alternative of continuing the fight. The Saxon herald met the proposal by killing the British Bard Owain, who was of course unarmed. { 7h} Such a violation of privilege excited then the whole energies of the Cymry, who rose as one man, and gave the entire scene a more bloody character than it had yet presented.
Victory, however, at length proclaimed in favour of the usurpers, and so decisively, that out of the three hundred and sixty three chieftains that went to the field of Cattraeth, three only returned alive, Cynon, and Cadreith, and Cadlew of Cadnant, besides Aneurin himself. { 7i} The number of common soldiers that fell must be conjectured.
We have said that the battle commenced on a Tuesday; it would appear from two passages, namely, where the meeting of reapers in the hall of Eiddin, { 7j} and the employment of Gwynwydd in protecting the corn on the highlands, { 8a} are spoken of, that the time of year in which it occurred was the harvest.